New module. oNtrak height but freemon and modutrack influence

[Specter3]

I am putting together a simple straight 1x4 oNetrak module for display at the show next week and am integrating some of the ideas I have harvested from the other module standards out there. I belong to an Ntrak club and hope to use my oNetrak modules as a switching/operating district for our Ntrak setups. That is why I remain firmly hooked to the Ntrak height requirement. Beyond that though I am doing what I want to do, as I have only to interface with my own modules. These will be Atlas code 55 and have the track run right to the edge just like FremoN and Mini Modutrak. The leg design is borrowed from Modutrak and joints between modules will be secured with the clamps that will be built into the legs. There is a lot of this I am making up as I go along and I will be having to retrofit some unknown amount of work and hardware on the modules I have already built to straight oNetrak standards. But I think this will make setup and takedown much easier and as I am the only one going down this road at the moment I get to establish the baseline for our group.

For this module I built all of this in about 3 hours this afternoon. The only pieces that were already cut were the long side 1x4s. They came from a previous Ntrak module frame. The bottom pieces of the legs are recycled Ntrak legs and will be shortened. Though the height it is at now would be very conductive to working on it. But my kids cant see the top of it whatsoever.

 







Now in these pics you will notice the endplates are doubled. This is just two extra endplates representing the next modules on either side for clamping. I will drag out some other modules and see how this leg arrangement works with other style module ends. Once I figure out the setup for the legs and ends I will secure the foam to the module and get a run of track on it and some basic land forms. It will not be complicated as this is meant to be what I call "traveling time" for the trains between the modules that have switching opportunities.

In the grand scheme of things I have entirely too much going on and need to slow down and get closer to finishing one of the modules I have started already but since this oNetrak district is my idea I am hoping someone will see how easy/compact/light/low maintenence/storable/transportable these are and jump in. We have a few new peple in the club who have space constraints and maybe this will get their creative juices flowing.

[Specter3]

Father's day does wonders for the amount of playing you can do. I found material for another couple of legs and knocked out a 2 foot module base as well.

[Philip H]

Interesting leg geometry.  How stable are they so far?

[Specter3]

once you tighten the top they are rock solid. I think for the next trick I will attach two ntrak modules together and see what happens. The legs are not my design. They are wholly stolen from the mini-modutrak group. They are not adjustable in height the same way as Modutrak's at the moment, but as I get a better feel for their construction I will add that in. I need a way to rout a slot in the plywood plate that is repeatable. I don't have a router or a table saw. Seems I need more tools....

[Philip H]

Well, what tools do you have?  Sounds to me like you need a template that sits over the face of the plywood piece that you can draw the slot out from, then cut with what you have on hand.

[Sokramiketes]

once you tighten the top they are rock solid. I think for the next trick I will attach two ntrak modules together and see what happens. The legs are not my design. They are wholly stolen from the mini-modutrak group. They are not adjustable in height the same way as Modutrak's at the moment, but as I get a better feel for their construction I will add that in. I need a way to rout a slot in the plywood plate that is repeatable. I don't have a router or a table saw. Seems I need more tools....

I use a router at home, but the last large batch we made it was actually faster to use a jigsaw.  Drill a hole at each end of the slot.  Then build a simple jig to allow your jigsaw to make two straight cuts to connect them.  If you have a jig that holds the plats, and has rub rails to guide the saw, it comes out just as clean and you can do a couple at a time.   

[Specter3]

Mike, thanks for all the info.

The 4 foot module gets it's basic trackwork. The 2 foot module gets it's top.

[Specter3]

couple of things done today. Got a simple hill secured to the 4 ft module. Test attached the new module type to one of the old original oNetrak modules. Figured out I need to either cut down the end plates on the new modules or put new endplates on the old ones. I think I will alter the old ones but I will have to consider the ramifications of that for a while. I may just say that between old and new style there will need to be a clamp on the frame just like we do with the rest of the modules. This old style corner module is going to have it's code 80 strpped off and replaced with code 55. When I do it I am going to get some bullfrog manual turnout throws and ditch the caboose throws I had started to use. With all the rest of the stuff I am doing to make it look better leaving the oversized caboose throws on was starting to bother me. I will get some non working stands from NZT and use the bullfrogs mounted under the module.

[Specter3]

Got the track down and just applied my favorite surface treatment, Sculptamold. Paint and basic ground cover to follow.

[Specter3]

Painted the base and added the first ground cover. The hill is given a dark leafy coating in preparation for tree cover.

[C855B]

^^^^ OK, what I mostly see in that picture is a valve cover sitting on 10 bags of Quikrete. What car is out of commission and what honey-do chore is being ignored while you're messing with your trains?

(Oooooh, I've so been there... )

[DKS]

What car is out of commission...?

I'd say the one on the right:

[Specter3]

Welllll.....the valve cover belongs to this:



Nursed a popped head gasket for a couple of years and finally had to fix it. Car has 197k on it but is wife's favorite. Head is still at machine shop.  The sand is for weighting the cars as BMW specs their alignments with weight in both front seats, the middle of the back seat and the trunk. In the spring it goes into the kid's sandbox. Now there was plenty of other stuff to do but I hang out outside in the driveway when the kids(6& are riding bikes to keep an eye and an ear on things. Some of my neighbors can't comprehend what a 20mph speed limit means. And the worst is one of them has two young kids herself. There are only 11 houses past me on my dead end street but if I didn't know any better I would swear Mario Andretti lived in most of them.

[MichaelWinicki]

Painted the base and added the first ground cover. The hill is given a dark leafy coating in preparation for tree cover.

Boy the difference a little paint and ground cover make!

[C855B]

Nursed a popped head gasket for a couple of years and finally had to fix it. ...

Ugh. I know that job, too. Good thing you can DIY. It's not a difficult task, but it sure is time-consuming, and that's where they get ya' at the repair shop.

Agreed - getting a little ground color on makes the module. Sweet. And many thanks for the refresh about Sculptamold. Since my wife (the artist) plans to be the scenery queen around here, nothing like being able to tell her to order "the correct media" from one of her artists' supplies catalogs.